There are a wide variety of exterior beautiful wall materials such as marble, granite, black or colored glass, tile, polished metal, stainless steel, copper or gold colored metal sheets, anodized metals, etc. which cover the outer sides of buildings. These building facing materials are generally quite expensive and usually in the shape of flat sheets which are relatively thin in cross-section. Often beautiful terrazzo or fancy tile walkways surround or lead to such buildings and are of a matching material or are color coordinated to tie them architecturally to the building. Elaborate landscape plantings are often combined with and enhance the beauty of the structure and its setting. Generally though, any retaining walls or waterway walls around such buildings are made of masonry or concrete materials, probably because the blocks are so heavy and deep in cross-section that it would be prohibitively expensive to make the retaining walls of a matching material, e.g., a marble or stainless material retaining block. Typically, the retaining wall block is quite thick and deep in the shape of a large block; whereas, the typical architectural building wall facing panel is a large, thin flat sheet. Thus, to form an architectural wall of large thick blocks of marble, stainless steel, etc. is too expensive and is not done, except maybe in a rare instance. The heavy block weight and large block depth are needed to provide a stable stack of blocks one upon another to build a high self-supporting wall which also is used to retain soil behind it. Thus, there is a need for a less expensive architectural matching retaining wall that can match the beauty of building and walkways about the building.
Masonry blocks for retaining walls typically are cast in metal molds to form a unitary block body with the mold defining the shape of the masonry block body. The retaining walls may be formed by lining the blocks in a row on compacted road mix spread on soil therebelow. The wall is built to its desired height by simply stacking rows of blocks on the row immediately therebelow. When used to retain soil, the wall can be spaced forwardly from the soil to be retained with the space between the wall and soil filled by a volume of open-grade clear stone. In this manner, the retaining wall is not in contact with the soil it retains and, as such, is not subject to damage, e.g., water damage, which such contact can cause. To provide for run-off to avoid damaging the base of the wall, a drain tile can be provided near the bottom of the stone.
A retaining wall which is erected as described above has an outward appearance defined by the forward, outwardly-facing sides of the blocks, and as such, usually has a masonry appearance as the block face is formed from the same material as the body of the blocks. While it is possible to change the outward form of the retaining wall, for example, by altering the mold shape in which the masonry blocks are formed, the wall is restricted in its appearance by the material with which the blocks are formed. Another known manner for changing the outward form of blocks involves simultaneously forming a pair of mirror-image blocks in a single mold so that they are joined in the mold. After forming the pair of blocks in the mold, the attached pair of blocks are then split in half at their joined faces to expose the previously attached faces such that a roughened surface appearance is produced. However, it is desirable for retaining walls to be able to provide an outward appearance that is different from the appearance of the low cost material by which the block body is generally formed, usually to the appearance provided by a more expensive material, such as marble, without incurring the higher costs associated with making the entire block body from these more expensive materials. In this manner, the outward appearance of retaining walls can be economically matched to the materials from which surrounding structures are built, such as buildings and homes. It is also desirable to provide retaining walls which can have their appearance quickly and easily changed in the field in case of damage or changes in desired appearance.
In the aforesaid patent application, an architectural retaining wall made of masonry blocks with a decorative face of marble, granite, colored glass, metal or the like is produced inexpensively so that it can be used to match, coordinate or otherwise compliment a building or walkway material. More specifically, beautiful retaining walls are formed from a plurality of rows of masonry blocks having thin, decorative, architectural facing panels substantially smaller in size than masonry blocks are attached to the masonry or concrete blocks to change the outward appearance of the front faces of the masonry blocks to conform to the architect's overall use of similar or matching colors and/or materials. A locking system is provided which allows the decorative facing panels to be securely attached to the block bodies in a quick and easy manner in the field. This locking system holds the facing panels securely against thawing, freezing, changes in temperature and shifting of blocks.
As disclosed in the aforesaid patent application, these decorative retaining wall blocks of masonry material provide a great deal of flexibility in design with the ability to match retaining walls made thereof to a wide variety of building exteriors at a very low cost as compared to having to make the full retaining wall block of the exterior building material, such as expensive marble, granite, aluminum or bronze.
The masonry retaining walls of the aforesaid patent application are quite heavy, and shipping costs are quite prohibitive for transporting over long distances. Also, the cost of the retaining wall, masonry blocks is quite high even without the facing panels attached thereto. The installation of such heavy masonry blocks is also a deterrent to their usage by homeowners or other non-professionals who want to transport the blocks in their family vehicle and who must lift and carry the blocks to their final installation positions in the retaining wall.